Digital Literacy and Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from Rural Vietnam

With the current strong digital transformation in Vietnam, this study aims to explore the role of digital literacy (DL) in ‎shaping the perception and online shopping behavior of consumers in rural areas, a market that businesses have not yet ‎exploited well. The study was conducted in two phases: phase 1 was to adjust the scale to adapt the scale to the research ‎context; phase 2 was to survey 501 rural users who had their first access to e-commerce to test the conceptual model. Based on ‎the extended technology acceptance model (eTAM) to establish the proposed research model, the SEM analysis results showed ‎that DL has a positive impact on both perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU), thereby indirectly affecting ‎attitudes towards online shopping (ATOS) and purchase intention (PI). This finding confirms the fundamental role of DL in ‎promoting digital consumer behavior in areas with many limitations in technological infrastructure and digital skills of ‎consumers. The study not only contributes to the eTAM in a new context but also provides important practical implications for ‎businesses and policy makers in developing e-commerce in rural areas of Vietnam‎.